An allogenic skin graft allows a person with a burn to receive skin from a donor. Patients are often given drugs to suppress their immune system. Why would a patient need to be given these drugs?

An allogenic graft comes from another person, so its cells have different surface markers from the recipient’s cells. The recipient’s immune system can recognize the donor skin as foreign and attack it, causing graft rejection. Immunosuppressive drugs reduce this immune response; they do not primarily increase blood supply, regenerate nerves, or relieve pain.

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